Author's Notes:

This is a Hermione/Draco story and sequel to Gryffindor Foolishness. I can't and won't force you to read that before (though it's an one-shot and not too long), but some things might seem a bit weird to you if you don't read it first. This fic is not an one-shot.

Genre: Romance/Humor/Angst, just like Gryffindor Foolishness, but this is definitely a lot more Angsty than GF.

Warning! Contains torture and blood, lots of it. (Well, perhaps not that much. For example, only two chapters out of ten have such descriptions). Not the first chapter though, nor the second... But the third... Well, I'm going to warn you in the beginning of each chapter that does contain an excess of blood and torture. (I told you it was going to be angsty.)

So, read and enjoy! (And leave a review if you don't mind.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

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Everything To Lose

Chapter 1: Things have changed
In which Harry realizes that things have changed and makes plans to kill Voldemort with arsenic.

A hesitant knock sounded on the bedroom door. When no answer came, he knocked again, this time calling out for her as well.

"Mione?"

All remained as quiet as before. But he had perfected his instincts over the months of war, and he recognized the silence as one made by those pretending not to be there. Besides, he knew his friend – she would not go out after a night as such. She would be too tired and hurt to do that. Oh yes, she had had a rough night, and now, only a couple of hours later, he was there to disturb her again. He didn't like it, but he couldn't prevent it from happening. If he didn't get her, someone else would. Someone less pleasant. At least he could try to make it a little easier for her.

"I know you're in there, Mione. So I suggest you let me in before I do it myself."

Another moment of silence during which he was holding his breath, and then…

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, sod off, Potter."

Harry smiled. At least she wasn't alone. Oh, had someone told him a year ago that he would be actually glad to have his arch-nemeses together with his best friend, well… to say that he would have thought them completely and utterly insane would have been a major understatement. But now, after what had happened earlier, he was not only glad that she was with someone, he was even glad that she was with him. Strange how much some things can change.

"Mione, this is important. You know I wouldn't bother you, not tonight, if it were anything else than a matter most crucial."

He was hoping to catch her attention with that, although it was not entirely true, but he wanted to face her when delivering his message. And he wanted to make sure she was all right, or at least – better.

"Are you 107 percent sure this can't wait till tomorrow, Harry?"

Her voice was suspicious. She, after all, had her instincts perfected as well, and somehow she sensed that what he had to tell her wasn't of such utmost importance. Maybe because he had been so gradual in his approach – if it had been that crucial, he wouldn't have waited this long to tell her.

"I'm sure. Sorry, Mione."

"It's all right, Harry, come in."

He found them sitting on the bed together. His arms circled her waist and his head was on her shoulder whereas hers rested against his chest. Neither did move when he entered, other than raising their glances to meet his, one tired and annoyed, and the other just tired.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked at last.

"Moody wants to see you," Harry swallowed a bit nervously.

She knew what his 'matter most crucial' meant now. Moody was not someone to joke around with. After Dumbledore's death, he had taken over the position of the Head of the Order, saying that no one else would have any idea whatsoever how to do it without getting them all killed by the end of the week. He had also been as modest as to grunt that he really didn't want it, but since everyone else was so deeply underqualified, and he wouldn't like to have the Dark Lord rule over him, this was the only possibility. However, he never acted as a suffering martyr after that – he run the Order like his personal army. His word was the law, his orders were to obeyed, unless one wanted to spend the next 24 hours chained to the wall or hanged from the ceiling by chains. Or, if one got extremely unlucky, he would simply ask them for a Talk. The room would be Silenced, of course, not to bother everybody in the radius of 50 miles. Yes, he believed that talking louder made it easier to understand. He was right, too, of course.

It was not a pretty thing getting caught with disobeying his orders, and Hermione had managed to do exactly that.

At that time, she hadn't cared, though, and even now she was not frightened either, just a little irritated that he wouldn't even let her have a good night sleep. But that was Moody. Nothing less could be expected from him.

And, after all, it wasn't like this was the first time she had earned a little yelling session with Moody, even though those who knew her Thou-Shalt-Not-Break-A-Rule attitude at school would have found it simply incredible. Yes, things had changed.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before lifting up her head and starting to move out of his embrace.

"The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can forgot all about this stupid day."

It was unclear who she had said this to, but Harry had no doubt to whom her next sentence was directed, neither was its meaning lost to him.

"Well, not all of it," she had added as an afterthought with a small smile.

He was more than reluctant to let her go. Tonight had not been too mild on him either.

"I'll come with you," he insisted, tightening his grip on her.

"You better not. Unless you want to spend the next three days in your little furry state."

Now with Dumbledore gone and McGonagall busy with Hogwarts, no one was there to restrain Moody. Even though it hadn't been him to do the deed the first time, he had found it a rather good idea, and used it on a couple occasions as well. Malfoy hadn't been very pleased with that, or the fact that instead of turning him back, the other occupants of the room had only pointed their fingers at him and laughed themselves sick. Well, perhaps the fact that the other occupants had been Scarhead and Weasel might have played some part in that, but he had been simply too furious to care. Yes, they had had a good laugh, until their third half had entered, apprised the situation with a single glance, picked him up from the floor, turned around, and walked away without saying a word. Of course, it would have been even better if she had changed him back instead of taking him to her room and glaring at him for half an hour. Well, at least she changed him back eventually. Perhaps because she didn't fancy kissing a ferret. Although she didn't kiss him that day. Maybe she would have, if he hadn't yelled at her and stormed out of the room. Scarhead and Weasel kept snorting every time they saw him after that for a whole week. He glared at them. But whenever he glared at her, she just smiled sadly.

Harry regarded him with a cool surprise, realizing that he wasn't going to retort to that, and with further astonishment noticing the worry in his eyes. He who always kept his face blank and devoid of any emotion. Always had, that is. And Harry understood that he had no reason to be surprised at that, after all, wasn't it him who had told them the depth of their love just a mere hours ago? But that was because they had made him so mad, with all yelling into his ears and yelling at each other when every observer could tell they were really hurting with each other's pain. And so he had cried out the truth to them, but that didn't mean he found it easy to believe. Oh, he did believe it, but it was just so hard not to be surprised every time he saw more proof to it. Sometimes he forgot that things had changed. A lot.

"It's Moody," Hermione was currently saying. "Not Voldemort. Not one of his Death Eaters. He will yell at me for a little, and then I'll come back home. Take a nap while I'm gone – you look tired."

"So do you, Granger."

Harry rolled his eyes at that. He always called her Granger. And she didn't mind. Then again, she called him Ferret Boy, Bastard and a lot of similar names, recently also Slytherin's Cutest Kitty Cat (although she had to thank him, Harry, for that – the consequences of giving the Boy Wonder hell of a head-ache), and he didn't seem to mind either. If things kept changing the way they had so far, Harry thought, he would be having tea with Voldemort before long. Well, he could always poison his tea.

Harry came out of his reverie just in time to see the two share a kiss, and realized with surprise and horror, that it didn't really bother him. Yes, better mark next Wednesday as 'Tea with Tom'. Now, where could he get some arsenic?

However, the late realization that the sight didn't bother him, didn't mean it didn't bother someone else. Someone else, who had come to see what was keeping them, since Moody's bad mood seemed to get worse with every second she had him waiting. And a furious Moody in the same room with Harry, Hermione, and Malfoy was something he was more than happy to stop.

"Will you two cut it out already – it's a public place, after all!" he exclaimed his irritation.

"The last time I checked it was our bedroom," she snapped back, half-amused.

"And we have done much more private things here, for your information, Weasel."

Ron's ears suddenly became to match his hair.

Harry realized it was a much better idea to grin at his friend's embarrassment than to think about what Malfoy had just said. So perhaps he could bear them kissing just as well, but that didn't mean he wouldn't draw a line before some things. Way, way before them.

But as Ron remained red and quiet, he decided to take a pity on him, after all, he probably came here with a reason. But before he could open his mouth, someone beat him to it.

"So, Weasel, as it seems I'm not having the pleasure of seeing you leave, care to tell us what brought you to the public area of our bedroom?"

Yes, Harry mentally nodded, there was definitely some emphasis on the word 'our'. And she didn't even elbow him for saying that. She was either really, really tired, or really, really irritated with Ron. He concluded it was both. Ron wasn't very happy with Hermione being with Malfoy, and Hermione in turn wasn't very happy with Ron not being very happy with her being with Malfoy. Well, at least she was very happy being with Malfoy.

If Ron had caught the extra emphasis, he was doing his best not to show it.

"Moody is not very happy with you keeping him waiting," he hastily spoke his message.

Another one who was not being very happy with something.

"I guess I'll better go," Hermione sighed and made a lousy attempt at getting up. Ron rushed towards her, but Harry kept his place, fighting against his every instinct, knowing he wouldn't be the one to catch her. And he was right, just as he was right about it not being Ron either.

"You are too weak to go alone," he protested, as she determinedly tried to push him away. "You are too weak to go at all."

"It was just a head rush, I'll be fine," she assured, and after a few short tentative steps she walked out of the bedroom door.

"See you soon!" she waved him and disappeared, Ron hurrying to follow her after sending Malfoy an especially seething glare.

Harry remained for another moment, staring at the now empty bed for a while, before turning his glance to Malfoy.

"Is she all right?"

"What do you think, Potter?"

"She will be all right. She is strong," Harry said, not sure who he was trying to convince.

Malfoy remained silent but his glare was not as sharp as usually.

Harry turned to go.

"She only wanted to save you from Moody's anger."

"And why would Moody be angry with me?" his voice had a bit of surprise in it, the part he had been unable to suppress. It wasn't Moody or his anger that shocked him, and not even the fact that Hermione had tried to protect him from it, but Potter telling him this. Why would he say it? Since when did he care? Oh, yes, he cared for her, but she had left and now it were just the two of them.

"Because she didn't disobey him just for nothing. She had a reason. You are her weakness, and Moody doesn't like it."

And with that Wonder Boy walked out of the room, leaving behind an utterly confused and rather worried Draco Malfoy.